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Background: Little is known regarding youth perceptions of tap water and school water fountains and how these relate to water and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake. Methods: We used national 2010 YouthStyles data to assess perceptions of tap water and school water fountains and associations with water and SSB intake. Results: Nearly 1 in 5 participants disagreed their tap water was safe and nearly 2 in 5 disagreed school water fountains were clean and safe. Perceived tap water risk was more prevalent among non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks (26.4%) and Hispanics (28.3%) compared with NH Whites (14.7%, p?<0.001) and more prevalent among lower-income youth. Negative water fountain perceptions were more common among high school-aged youth. Perceived tap water risk was not associated with SSB intake (odds ratio [OR]?=?1.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6, 1.5) or water intake (OR?=?1.4, 95% CI: 0.9, 2.1). Negative water fountain perceptions were associated with SSB intake only among Hispanics (race/ethnicity interaction p?

Objective: Determine school characteristics associated with healthy/unhealthy food service offerings or healthy food preparation practices. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. Setting: Nationally representative sample of public and private elementary, middle, and high schools. Participants: Data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Practices Study Food Service School Questionnaire, n = 526 for Healthy and Unhealthy Offerings analysis; n = 520 for Healthy Preparation analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Scores for healthy/unhealthy foodservice offerings and healthy food preparation practices. Analysis: Multivariable regression to determine significant associations among school characteristics and offerings/preparation practices. Results: Public schools and schools participating in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition reported more healthy offerings and preparation than private or nonparticipating schools, respectively. Elementary schools reported fewer unhealthy offerings than middle or high schools; middle schools reported fewer unhealthy offerings than high schools. Schools requiring foodservice managers to have a college education reported more healthy preparation, whereas those requiring completion of a foodservice training program reported fewer unhealthy offerings and more healthy preparation than schools without these requirements. Conclusions and Implications: Results suggest the school nutrition environment may be improved by requiring foodservice managers to hold a nutrition-related college degree and/or successfully pass a foodservice training program, and by participating in a school-based nutrition program, such as USDA Team Nutrition. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background Methods Results Conclusions To improve the healthfulness of foods offered while accelerating the use of environmental sustainability practices, it is important to engage hospital food service operators in the adoption of such practices. The purpose of this study was to explore barriers, facilitators and best practices for implementing environmental sustainability standards in food service among veterans affairs (VA) hospitals in the United States.We conducted an online survey with 14 VA hospital food service directors and then 11 qualitative interviews. The survey assessed motivations for initiating sustainability standards and included a self‐rating of implementation for each of five standards: increasing plant‐forward dishes, procuring and serving sustainable foods that meet organic/fair trade and other certifications, procuring and serving locally produced foods, reducing food waste and reducing energy consumption. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis, including coding of themes and subthemes, was conducted by two coders to determine barriers, facilitators and best practices for each of these five standards. Quantitative methods (counts and frequencies) were used to analyse the survey data.Participants had an average of 5 years of experience implementing sustainability standards. The top three motivators cited were reducing food waste, serving healthier foods and increasing efficiency or cost savings. Barriers revolved around patient preferences, contractual difficulties and costs related to reducing waste. Facilitators included taste testing new recipes that include more sustainable food options and easy access to sustainable products from the prime vendor. Best practices included making familiar dishes plant‐forward and plate waste studies to prevent overproduction.Although there were many barriers to implementation, food service directors had solutions for overcoming challenges and implementing food service sustainability standards, which can be tested in future sustainability initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the workplace food and physical activity (PA) environments and wellness culture reported by employed United States adults, overall and by employer size.Design: Cross-sectional study using web-based survey on wellness policies and environmental supports for healthy eating and PA.Setting: Worksites in the United States.Participants: A total of 2101 adults employed outside the home.Measures: Survey items were based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Worksite Health ScoreCard and Checklist of Health Promotion Environments and included the availability and promotion of healthy food items, nutrition education, promotion of breast-feeding, availability of PA amenities and programs, facility discounts, time for PA, stairwell signage, health promotion programs, and health risk assessments.Analysis: Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of worksite environmental and facility supports by employer size (<100 or ≥100 employees). Chi-square tests were used to examine the differences by employer size.Results: Among employed respondents with workplace food or drink vending machines, approximately 35% indicated the availability of healthy items. Regarding PA, 30.9% of respondents reported that their employer provided opportunities to be physically active and 17.6% reported worksite exercise facilities. Wellness programs were reported by 53.2% working for large employers, compared to 18.1% for smaller employers.Conclusion: Employee reports suggested that workplace supports for healthy eating, PA, and wellness were limited and were less common among smaller employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveResearch is limited on whether mistrust of tap water discourages plain water intake and leads to a greater intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). The objective of the present study was to examine demographic differences in perceptions of tap water safety and determine if these perceptions are associated with intake of SSB and plain water.DesignThe study examined perceptions of tap water safety and their cross-sectional association with intake of SSB and plain water. Racial/ethnic differences in the associations of tap water perceptions with SSB and plain water intake were also examined.SettingNationally weighted data from the 2010 HealthStyles Survey (n 4184).SubjectsUS adults aged ≥18 years.ResultsOverall, 13·0 % of participants disagreed that their local tap water was safe to drink and 26·4 % of participants agreed that bottled water was safer than tap water. Both mistrust of tap water safety and favouring bottled water differed by region, age, race/ethnicity, income and education. The associations of tap water mistrust with intake of SSB and plain water were modified by race/ethnicity (P < 0·05). Non-white racial/ethnic groups who disagreed that their local tap water was safe to drink were more likely to report low intake of plain water. The odds of consuming ≥1 SSB/d among Hispanics who mistrusted their local tap water was twice that of Hispanics who did not (OR = 2·0; 95 % CI 1·2, 3·3).ConclusionsPublic health efforts to promote healthy beverages should recognize the potential impact of tap water perceptions on water and SSB intake among minority populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]